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Study emergency management , Ākona te whakahaere ohotata

Study emergency management at Massey to help communities develop resilience to face disasters and rebuild community life, infrastructure, the economy, and the environment.

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One of a kind

Stand out with a unique qualification. Study at NZ's only university offering undergraduate Emergency Management studies.

Simply the best

The Joint Centre for Disaster Research is New Zealand’s leading provider of emergency management education to students worldwide.

Make a contribution

Make sense of the world from different perspectives through Massey. Contribute to education, defence, sustainability and more.

The heart of the matter

Humanities and Social Sciences at Massey. Explore what it means to be human, why we act like we do and the ways we create meaning.

Overview

Emergency or disaster management organises communities to respond to disasters. Massey’s in-depth emergency management courses specialise in participatory methods and research into how people think about risk, especially for volcanic eruptions.

Learn from world-class lecturers and researchers at the Joint Centre for Disaster Research. Gain deep knowledge of emergency management issues and theory, as well as operational practices and policies. Get work-ready with practical coursework and research projects relevant to the real world.

Emergency management is a good fit if you:

  • enjoy school subjects such as geography, psychology, science or social studies
  • want to help communities prepare, respond and recover from disasters and emergencies
  • like solving problems quickly and under pressure in complex and challenging situations.

Emergency management courses

Disaster and emergency management courses may cover:

  • community hazards education and planning
  • communications about risks and during a crisis
  • environmental health risk management
  • human responses to natural disaster warnings
  • incident and risk management
  • incident command systems
  • natural hazards and resilient communities
  • psycho-social support.

Courses also provide the strategic and operational knowledge to help communities deal with:

  • natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunami or floods
  • emergencies such as fires or terror attacks
  • health issues such as water and food contamination, pandemics and epidemics
  • technological hazards such as cyber attacks or power outages.

Our teaching draws on multidisciplinary research and partnerships. For example, our Indigenous Disaster Risk Management team works with Māori communities and other indigenous peoples to understand culture in disaster management. 

We also offer short courses for professional development. Examples include:

  • crisis decision-making
  • iwi emergency management
  • professional leadership training for response and recovery leaders
  • risk analysis
  • wellbeing management in emergencies.

Find short courses in emergency management

Response and Recovery Leadership Development

How to study emergency management

Discover what we offer if you’re interested in emergency management – whether you’re coming to university for the first time, changing direction or returning to advance your study or career.

Undergraduate study

An undergraduate qualification is generally the first thing you’ll study at university.

Bachelor's degrees

Degrees are the standard qualifications you do at university – the most common is called a bachelor’s. Degrees give you enough time to explore your interests, and also focus on specific subjects.

Undergraduate certificates

If you want to study at university, but aren't sure if you want to commit to a degree, try an undergraduate certificate.

Graduate certificates

Graduate certificates let you study in a subject you're interested in without doing a second bachelor's degree. Or you can use it as a bridge to postgraduate study if you already have an undergraduate degree.

Undergraduate diplomas

Undergraduate diplomas let you try university study before you commit to a degree. They’re also useful if you need to advance your career.

Graduate diplomas

Graduate diplomas can help you advance to postgraduate study or research in a subject you haven’t majored in for your undergraduate study.

Postgraduate study

Once you’ve graduated with a bachelor’s degree – or have equivalent experience – you’ll be ready to take on postgraduate study.

Master's degrees

A master's degree normally builds on a main subject of study from your undergraduate degree.

Postgraduate Certificate

Postgraduate diplomas

Postgraduate diplomas are postgraduate-level qualifications that are longer than a postgraduate certificate. If you’re successful, you might be able to use the credits towards the longer master’s degree.

PhD and other doctoral degrees

Doctoral degrees, including PhDs, are the highest degrees we award. They’re very demanding and their entry criteria reflect this.

Relevant research areas at Massey

Discover research expertise, projects and initiatives relating to emergency management at Massey.

Emergency management research

What our students say

“I’m interested in how people manage around adversity and what can be done to help them in a dignified way.”
Maureen Mooney

Researcher, Joint Centre for Disaster Research / Red Cross consultant

PhD Psychology

“Massey's emergency management programme enabled me to get closer to my dream of working with marginalised communities affected by emergency events. I want to make a difference in this area by using my expertise in geospatial technologies and my knowledge in emergency management.”
Jasmin Callosa-Tarr

Graduate Diploma in Emergency Management

Jobs in emergency management

Practical knowledge and skills in critical thinking, communication and planning are crucial in emergency management. Such skills are also in demand in related fields such as business management, health and safety, law, and policy analysis.

Our graduates work all over the world in local or national government agencies, or for humanitarian aid organisations, NGOs or public safety agencies. Others work in businesses, the defence forces, or hospitals. Job prospects are good for people with skills in emergency and disaster management and recovery.

Careers in disaster management include:

  • business continuity and emergency managers, who work out how organisations can manage risks and recover during and after disasters
  • disaster and emergency response managers, who develop civil defence plans and co-ordinate emergency services, volunteers, businesses and community responses
  • emergency management officers, who carry out risk assessments and plan for disasters and hazards
  • emergency services staff and leaders, such as firefighters, paramedics and police — and doctors, nurses and public health specialists
  • international aid workers, who set up and run relief operations in affected communities, working with and enabling local organisations.

Salaries for emergency management jobs

Emergency management officers in New Zealand earn around $66,000 to $95,000, although pay depends on the role, organisation and location. Those in senior roles often earn more than $100,000.

Emergency management careers information

Salary ranges disclaimer

Indicative pay rates are:

Which emergency management qualification?

Examples of where our qualifications may take you.

Table showing jobs and what you could study to enter them.
Jobs Examples of what you could study
Business continuity manager or emergency management adviser/leader Postgraduate Diploma in Emergency Management
Master of Emergency Management
Emergency management officer, disaster response manager, or senior roles in emergency operations/co-ordination centre Bachelor of Arts (minor in Emergency Management)
Graduate Certificate in Emergency Management
Graduate Diploma in Emergency Management
Senior leader or technical expert in emergency management or national security Master of Emergency Management
PhD in Emergency Management
International aid worker Master of Sustainable Development Goals (Disaster Management)

Get an information guide

Download our guide to find out more about studying emergency management at Massey.

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